The present disclosure relates generally to an apparatus for extinguishing a fire on a stovetop. Grease fires are a common occurrence in many homes when food or oil is left unattended on a stovetop. Grease fires grow rapidly and can quickly cause fire damage to nearby cabinetry and kitchen structures, and can eventually lead to full fledge house fires if they are not put out in time.
More specifically, the present disclosure relates to an apparatus for extinguishing or suppressing a fire which develops on a stove top before the fire can spread to nearby cabinetry or kitchen structures. Conventional stovetop fire prevention devices include various large and bulky apparatuses that can be positioned above a stovetop and can release a fire suppressant material such as baking soda or water onto a detected stovetop fire in order to suffocate the fire. Many conventional kitchen units also include a hood for venting smoke from the stovetop, the hood positioned above the stove top and having an inner recess. In such kitchens with hoods, the fire prevention devices can be positioned in the recess of the hood such that the devices are not readily visible to an observer of the kitchen unit.
However, in more recent years it has become increasingly common, especially in large apartment and condo complexes, for the kitchen to include a microwave above the stovetop for space saving reasons, the microwave lacking any inner recess to position fire prevention devices. As such, conventional bulky and unaesthetically pleasing fire prevention devices are positioned below the bottom of the microwave and can be readily visible to an observer of the kitchen unit. Some conventional devices may also undesirably extend into a user's cooking space below the microwave because of their size and height. Additionally, many conventional microwaves to do not extend over a front burner on the stovetop, such that conventional devices capable of extinguishing fires on a front burner of the stovetop undesirably extend outward from the microwave, further decreasing the aesthetic appearance of the devices. Furthermore, some conventional devices are of such a large size and weight that the devices must be mounted directly to a wall adjacent and beneath the microwave, which is undesirable.
The size and unaesthetic appearance of conventional devices can force a builder to have to choose between aesthetics and safety, often times the builder choosing aesthetics to ensure sales of the living units. Additionally, even if builders choose to include conventional fire prevention devices in their properties, the resident once occupying the apartment or living space often chooses to remove the fire prevention device for aesthetic reasons. As such, the unaesthetic appearance of conventional devices can deter proper use of such devices, which can ultimately decrease the safety of the kitchen and increase the likelihood of a stovetop fire outbreak spreading to nearby fixtures, which is undesirable.
What is needed then are improvements to stove top fire extinguishing devices.